At the fortieth minute mark of the first half on Friday night, Kevin Muscat took possession of the ball just behind halfway. Glancing up, he dinked a lovely ball over the top of the Central Coast defence to Archie Thompson.
Thompson’s first touch was deft, but Victory supporters were never to find out how good his second would be as the linesman’s flag went straight up.
From the third tier of the Telstra Dome, almost directly along the halfway line, it appeared that Thompson was onside.
Indeed, it appeared so close that probably 21,455 pairs of eyes turned to the Dome’s two big screens to see if the linesman had got it right.
But a replay was not forthcoming.
Instead, spectators simply got an eyeful of the TAC’s road safety campaign.
Mariners fans would have been even more frustrated not to have seen vision of Dylan Macallister’s disallowed goal just after half time.
The decision, which curiously did not warrant broaching in the match report on the A-League’s website, would have had far more bearing on the game than the Thompson one earlier.
Replays showed later on Fox Sports confirmed the decision was incorrect, but those in the crowd were again left wondering as the TAC’s campaign got another spin.
The reluctance to show any incident even mildly controversial is a long-standing practice at the Telstra Dome, but never fails to rile the punters.
From the creation of the A-League, Football Federation Australia has endeavoured to steer away from providing any type of avenue for supporter aggression at games.
By doing so, it has all but banished from Australian club football the spectre of violence that constantly haunted the NSL.
For this it deserves credit. No one wants to feel uncomfortable or intimidated while watching the team they love.
But surely sanitization such as this is one neurotic step too far.
And as one Victory member on Friday night pointed out, allowing replays can only lead to the improvement of the standard of refereeing throughout the league.
Referees cop criticism – some warranted, some not – everywhere around the world. Of course, they always deserve respect.
But televising incidents at games will mean officials will have to take responsibility for their decisions, and that healthy pressure should lead to better refereeing.
That – as well as the ability to get the answers to their questions on game day – is an outcome that the paying punters deserve.
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Here is the way the Roar expert panel sees all the action unfolding across the final weekend of play prior to the semi-finals.
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The Mariners must deal with possibly their toughest challenge yet - Kyrgyzstan’s FK Abdysh-Ata Kant in the first leg of the semifinal.
The loser of the Sydney Derby will be under immense pressure entering the final three matches of the season.
A good performance from Michael Ruhs, scoring twice to beat Macarthur and doubling his season goal tally in the process.
